Navy pilots are an exceptional group of individuals who obviously have no fear of getting into a metallic bird to soar. Being launched from a steampowered catapult off a ship or catching a wire on the comparatively tiny deck of a carrier while it’s in motion is not for the feint-hearted.

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I was listening to a friend who had just lost her father recount the challenges she had faced finding live-in help to be with him the past few months. Her mother was unable to care for him alone, but she became the biggest barrier to keeping help in the house. A wife whose spouse has multiple health problems shared with me her fears about the future and providing care for him as she ages. The stories are endless and heart wrenching.

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Epilepsy has been around for centuries and is one of the oldest conditions of the human race. The earliest references date back to B.C. in Mesopotamia, where auras, generalized convulsions and other aspects of “the falling disease” were recounted very accurately.

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Have you ever gone to a concert where the music was so loud your ears hurt? After it was over, did you hear ringing or buzzing in your ears? Then you have experienced tinnitus, which is Latin for “ringing.”

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Sun safety is important to remember no matter what season of the year. Often we are more aware of the sun’s rays in the summer and think about taking precautions, but the sun rays can be harmful all year round.

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Stress is an essentially normal response to feeling overwhelmed or threatened. Fight, flight and freeze are survival responses that are meant to protect us from danger. In moments of stress, hormones release and, as our heart beat speeds up...

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There’s an Irish proverb that goes something like this, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” Personally, I think sleep is overrated. Of course, that is what I tell myself when I wake up feeling tired. I am not alone, though. Lately, I’ve been having conversations with coworkers, family and friends about their trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep and waking up during the night.

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While I was sitting at the airport recently, I could not help but notice the number of people walking by that were either overweight or obese. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is an obesity epidemic in the United States.

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Advances in science, better nutrition and improvements in health care have allowed people to live to unprecedented ages. But this blessing of longevity has brought with it challenges that have stretched the demand for services of both professional and family caregivers. As Rosalyn Carter once said, “There are only four kinds of people in the world, those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.”

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The holidays are only weeks away. Walk into any store and be enticed by the holiday music and decorations meant to get us into the holiday mood well before Thanksgiving! Often, holiday celebrations with family and friends may create high levels of stress in our lives. And while the holiday season can be a wonderful time, there is no denying the stress that can even creep up on the calmest and most resolute of individuals.

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Did you notice when you went for your last medical checkup if your provider was writing in a paper chart or using a computer to document the visit? Paper records are slowly being replaced with electronic medical records (EMR's).

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Osteoporosis or brittle bone disease is a disease characterized by low bone mass and architectural changes in bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures (broken bones).

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As a health care professional and parent, I am concerned about the health of my family and know that vaccinations not only protect my family but also our community. Vaccinations have an important role in disease prevention.

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The weather is changing and as the temperature and humidity rises, so do the risks associated with sun and heat exposure. Dehydration and heat stroke are two common heat-related illnesses that can be life-threatening if left untreated.

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One of the most important health care messages for women is to have regular Pap tests. The Pap test looks for changes in the cervix that might lead to cancer. Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States.

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I am sure you have heard the famous saying by Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” But did you know that the phrase is actually firefighting advice? In 1736, Franklin organized Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company, the first in the city.

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My teenage daughter came home from school a few weeks ago distraught and shared that a student who had been in her gym class had taken his own life. In that same week, I received a call from a chaplain about a young Marine who had written a suicide note and two days later had taken his life.

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Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for one of every five deaths in the United States each year. When you mention smokingrelated deaths, most people think of lung cancer; and while lung cancer is the leading cause of smoking-related deaths, it is not the only hazard of smoking tobacco.

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In 2000, Katie Couric had a colonoscopy on live television. Her goal was to raise awareness about colorectal cancer after her husband’s death at 42 from the disease. Her effort had a positive result as the rate of colon cancer testing rose by 20% throughout the United States.

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One of my favorite books as a child was The Little Engine that Could. The book had a great message which the little engine chants as it makes its way up the hill, “I think I can, I think I can.” The story was inspirational to me as a child and the message is as valid today as it was when it was first published in 1930.

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